Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Happy St. Jean Baptiste Day!

"La Saint-Jean, la Fête Nationale du Québec, St. Jean Baptiste Day ... it's a day of many names. But whatever you call it, it's one of Montreal's favorite holidays! A chance to honor Quebec's unique heritage, identity and history, June 24 is a statutory day for Montrealers and Quebecers of every creed, color and mother tongue. So if you feel blessed to be part of a culture that affords residents a language and lifestyle unlike anywhere else in North America, don't be shy to get out and celebrate. And since it's a statutory holiday, many businesses shut down for the day so don't forget to consult this list of what's open and closed on the Fête Nationale in Montreal, complete with activity suggestions."
http://montreal.about.com/od/attractionsbyholiday/tp/la_saint_jean_fete_nationale.htm

Photo courtesy of France D'amour

I may travel elsewhere, but you know Dorothy said it best, 
"There's no place like home" 

Happy St. Jean Baptiste Day to Quebeccers everywhere!
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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Blog Hop - See You In September

Good morning! I am so excited, you really can't miss it! 

If you've ever participated in one, then You Know 
. . . Mdm Samm @ Sew We Quilt's
 blog hops Rock! 
And this next one will be no different!
 

No blog hops over the summer may seem long, but . . .
  that will provide plenty of opportunity to come back
September 3 - 16
with 3 things you've created over the summer . . .
 
It can be anything . . . Be CREATIVE, show us 
 your knitting, painting, QUILTING, stitching, needlepoint, cross stitch, sewing . . .
however
 
1 of those projects must include RBD Gingham . . . 
only 1 project . . . the other projects
will be whatever you want . . .come back in September 
and inspire us . . .
 
If you do create anything over the summer and wish
to show it on your blog, just do sneak peaks . . .
and save the details for us to shower you with
compliments in the fall.

 As for me, I'm positively squealing in delight for two reasons. 

One, I get to cheer this September Hop, 
and two . . . check me out, I am GINGHAM. 

Pause a moment while I spin around in my new threads!

 

Ok, back to business!

I will need the following from you... 
 
Your name, 
your email address
Your blog Name,
Your link to your blog. 
 
Please send me this information, along with the 
SUBJECT LINE . . .
 
SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER
 

s.galagher at sympatico dot ca
s.galagher@sympatico.ca
 
 
A Few Easy to Follow
Guidelines
 
Anyone and everyone can participate in our HOPS.
If ever you wanted to have cheerleaders in your life
to cheer on your creativity . . .
well you do not need to look any further . . .
 
1. CREATE 3 projects over the summer, one of them  has to be RBD (Riley Blake Designs) gingham . . . the rest, your choice . . . NOW you will be showcasing 3 projects, not 1 or just 2 but 3 . . . any size at all . . .

2. BE a cheerleader for all those who participate, there is nothing 
as heartfelt as your lovely comments.

3. Please turn off your word verification the day of your
post . . .you really do not want to miss any comments . . .
YOU have no idea how that one comment can be a life changer . . .

4. Be sure to add your post at midnight EST. WE have visitors
all around the world who like to get up like we do in North America
to your lovely creations . . .

5. Please ADD everyone including YOUR blog on your post 
that day, so we can find everyone as easily as we found you . . .

6. MOST IMPORTANT, commit, if you don't, you have
taken the spot of someone else who I will be hearing about,
trust me there . . .

7. Add the button to your blog so everyone will note your 
SEE you in SEPTEMBER projects will be revealed soon! 


 
For those of us who just adore RBD gingham, 
or even just as a favour to those of us who do,
please help spread the word . . .
 
http://www.sewwequilt.com/2014/06/save-rbd-gingham-campaign.html
 
Click on the logo to visit Mdm. Samm's 
clear explanation of such a worthy cause!

And post this adorable image everywhere!
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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Halt! RBD Please don't do it!

Gingham may soon be in distress at a store near you...

Have you heard? 

RBD is thinking of retiring their gingham fabric line. 

But, but, I haven't yet had the opportunity to try this fabric that is so raved about. 

But, but, I haven't had the opportunity to tell everyone myself how lovely to work with this fabric is. (if our Samm says so, therefore it must be *wink* . . . sometimes you must accept things in faith).

Sewers to the rescue, chicken scratchers unite, lovers of all things classic come, join the campaign . . . help save RBD Gingham! Spread the word . . . if nothing else, try some RBD gingham yourself. For what you ask? Well, how about Mdm. Samm's upcoming blog hop . . .

 
more details about this hop will be revealed later this week . . .
But a summary of it will look like this . . .
 
CREATE 3 PROJECTS over the summer to showcase in our 
 
BLOG HOP in SEPTEMBER . . .
 
ONE OF THESE projects will have to be RBD GINGHAM . . .
the other projects can be anything, small, large, paper projects, 
anything you have done over the summer . . .

Needing ideas for what to do with your gingham once you get it? 

Check out 

 has a great tutorials on
 smocking with gingham . . .
chicken scratch with gingham
elastic shirring with gingham . . .

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Monday, June 16, 2014

Breakfast Time

It is such a beautiful morning here that I just cannot help but sit outdoors and enjoy my breakfast. I also have a few knitted dishcloth patterns to catch up on so now is as good a time as any while the house is still quiet.

 

Coffee in my newest favourite mug, and spelt toast with sunflower seed butter. Someone I know and love will be receiving a similar mug very soon *wink*.



This is my catch-up knitting of the day. Pattern: Floral Eyelet Cloth in Bernat Handicrafter: Creamsicle (makes me think more of candy corn).

Have an awesome Monday morning!
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Friday, June 6, 2014

A Perfect Picnic Blog Hop

Well, today is the day, and I am as ready as I'm ever gonna be!

Thank you to two very special ladies, without which this hop just would not have been the hop that it is....Mdm Samm and Mary...y'all are awesome for putting this this together!

And of course to our very generous sponsors....Riley Blake Designs and Peterboro Baskets.

Requirements:
#1 create a picnic quilt

#2 obtain some kind of picnic basket 

#3 plan a detailed menu and share your basket contents.

#4 take photos of your outing and share how your day went....

#5 what books or games did you bring along

Today's line up of creatively perfect picnics include:

Friday June 6

Let's begin =)
We usually tend to do drive thru picnics, or stop at the grocery store before going to the park for submarine buns, sliced deli meats, cheese, and pop. Since we love to go for drives we can do this quite often throughout the summer, but, thanks to the encouragement of Samm and Mary, I now have a picnic blanket.

#1. 

I know, I know, my quilt is white. I love the green and white gingham I have or rather had in my stash (I even have a dress in this same fabric LOL), and it just called for white fabric to go with it, also from my stash.

This is one of my favourite verses. I really do try to live this. The leaf wreath was designed and drawn by my son. I then used fabric paint (setacolor) and a paint brush to paint it in. All were done freehand.
This is the backing fabric. It was fabric that originally came from my mom. I was going to use it as pillowcases in her room, but as she passed away in February, I've decided to use it for my own purposes, and a little bit of her can picnic with us when we go =)

#2.


This picnic basket was given to me several years ago from my sister. It may not hold a lot, but it keeps our dishes and napkins all together!

#3.  Our menu was very simple. Being about 11 p.m. we just had a before bed snack, nothing fancy.

Organic, coconut milk, raw almonds, and raw honey.
 

As once recommended by Mdm Samm, we enjoyed almonds and honey. Yum, yum. We washed it down with coconut milk.

#4. While we had planned a real picnic. It was supposed to be this past Sunday, at the request of our granddaughter, but I became ill, you really don't want any details!, and since then each one of us has taken our turn at being ill, also, the weather did not cooperate. Not to mention we live in mosquitoville for now. Give it a couple weeks, and we will try again.

#5. What games and books?


No, these are not after dinner mints, LOL. This is my homemade game of checkers.



Chicken scratch embroidery. Green for the green squares, and white DMC for the  white squares. The game pieces are "slices" of a wooden dowel. Thank you dh for cutting them for me. Especially when you found out I wanted at least 60 pieces.

You see, this game board is 12 x 12, and requires 30 pieces each player. I remember playing checkers for the first time at my parents summer cabin. Flash ahead several years when I played at a friends, and there seemed to be so many fewer pieces than I remembered.

When I decided to make my own board for this hop, I had to look up the board an lo and behold found out that there really are different boards. There is an association of checker players here in Quebec...see here...this is where I learned that as a child I must have first played on a Canadian board (played mainly here in Quebec). Pardon the blunder, someone must have caught this...pieces for both opponents should be placed on the dark (ie green squares); forgive me, I must be more tired than I realized LOL.


Also, on a real picnic I would bring a puzzle book, and my well-traveled, worn, and stained Bible. I don't often go far without it!

Well that is it for us here. Looking forward to making this our summer habit of 2014! Thanks for visiting. I am last in today's linky lineup, but be sure to visit the other's if you haven't already (links at top of post).

Have an awesome weekend and see you again on Monday to finish up a perfect hop!
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Catching up for the merry, merry, month of May





What is the smelliest dirtiest thing you have ever been asked to sew? This is mine:


These huge oven mitt like things with metal clips are filled with deer hair, and apparently smelled way worse than when I received them to sew closed. What I won't do for family. Here is what they were for...


These are Chris' beautiful work horses and seemingly they are to clip to the straps against the horses legs (?) to protect them when he trains them. My handy work must be holding up as I haven't been asked to repair them. I really must get around to taking my own photos to share =)

Next up...







Lots of green threads this month...you'll see why on Friday when I finally post my perfect picnic.








Did not work a whole lot on my cross stitching. Larger project took most of my time. Used jeweled effect thread here. Still need to find a tutorial for adding beads to my project. There are flourishes on top and below the words, and I think I'd like to do them up in beads. Any ideas?



I was supposed to show my project yesterday, but got yucky sick over the weekend and the picnic we had planned with our granddaughter has had to be postponed. We will just have to have a trial run without her. Showing on Friday now instead.  Here is the list of participants. We sure have been wowed to date!

Hosted by Mdm Samm of Sew We Quilt, head cheerleader is Mary from I Piece 2-Mary

Monday June 2

Tuesday June 3

Wednesday June 4

Thursday June 5

Friday June 6


Monday June 9

And to finish up this long post, just a few extra photos for something nice to look at!
 


 
These are the newest batch of young squirrels. I have counted 8 of them and they like to play tag and chase each other through the trees. It is funny to watch them all run away, one after the other in a long line down along the same tree limb. Last month they were not long enough to feed directly from the feeders and had to knock the seed to the ground to eat it =)

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